Community College Schools

Community college schools or community colleges are different concepts in different countries. In USA and Canada, a community college (also known as a county college, city college or junior college) is an educational institution offering lower level tertiary education and higher education. These colleges provide diplomas, certificates and Associates' degrees.

In the UK, community colleges are secondary schools, which provide extended services on offering adult education courses and on achieving the status of a technology college. Here, these colleges grant vocational qualifications and General Certificates of Secondary Education.

Community College Schools – The Big Picture

Community colleges are publicly funded two-year institutions. A community college can have satellite branches that are dedicated to each county of the state. When a community college is funded by the municipality, it comes to be referred to as a city college. These community college schools serve the needs of the people living in a particular city.

A number of the community college schools are operated by a division of the state university or by special districts that are engaged in drawing property tax revenue from the local community. In the latter case, the special district is governed by a board of trustees who are elected or appointed by the local community. The board of trustees is subject to limited control by a state agency that supervises all the community college school districts.

The job of the state university or the local board is to select a President, who being the chief executive officer of the college will lead the staff and the faculty.

The Programs Offered

Community colleges offer three kinds of educational programs:

• The first type of program aims towards an Associate's degree, where the student takes the necessary courses that will enable him/her to earn a degree for getting a job that requires some level of college education and not a full four-year degree.

• The second type of program helps you get a certification in a field of training, like computer repair, nursing and many more. For this, you need to go through a state or national level examination as these are mostly high paying jobs.

• The third type of program offers services like development classes for children, adult continuing education classes and job placements.

Benefits

The students who cannot afford off-site housing at a four-year college can attend the courses staying in their local community and opting for the community college schools. The community college schools can also work with the local businesses to enhance the development of the customized training gear catering to the local needs.

The 'open enrollment' policy enables anyone to take the first steps towards future college education. The athletic programs at the local community college schools are also for the benefit of the athletes.